The Visitation
by enchantment1972
Summary: Nana Prentice is back and she's spending the day on the TARDIS! Discover how the Doctor deals with it and the reason why Nana dislikes him so much. **Sixth of the Forevermore series**
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in relation to Dr. Who.

**Chapter 1 Going To The Dogs…er, Cats**

The Doctor is busy rewiring some switches on the console when he hears Rose clear her throat behind him and ask, "So what do you think? Will this do for the Sol 3 Fancy Dress Ball on Samhain?"

He turns around and all further thoughts of completing work on the TARDIS fly out of his head when he finds his wife standing before him dressed as Ginger Spice, complete with red wig. He releases a low wolf whistle while he circles her and grinning salaciously notes, "You know, Rose, this is the first time that I haven't wanted to be ginger."

Rose laughs and declares, "Well, with all of the domestic that you've had to go through lately, I thought that it was time to spice up your life," and she proceeds to imitate a few of the Spice Girls dance moves.

The Doctor grabs her tightly to him and growls, "Oh, yes, definitely." He waggles his eyebrows as he suggests, "Why don't you keep the outfit handy for later?"

Rose's laughter is cut short when they hear a knock at the door. Rose hurries off to change and the Doctor promptly bounds over to answer the door with a huge grin which quickly fades when he discovers the smiling faces of Jackie Tyler and Nana Prentice, who is carrying Haven and has several bags in tow.

Seeing this, he immediately spins around and yells down the hall, "Rose, pack your bags for an extended stay in the Vortex! The last sign of the Apocolypse has just arrived on our doorstep!"

Jackie and Nana's smiles instantly morph into grimaces before Jackie ushers her mum in from the cold. Nana shuffles past the Doctor and almost pokes out his eye with the wing of what appears to be a stuffed black crow perched on top of her black hat.

Flashing back to a memory of the Black Guardian, the Doctor silently muses, _Whoever thought that I would ever long for the days when Turlough was trying to kill me?_

Rose enters the console room and gushes, "Mum! Nana! What are you two doing here?" as she gives them each a hug and kiss.

Jackie helps her mum off with her coat and hands it off to the Doctor while explaining, "You remember your dad's new salesman, Wilfred Mott, don't you sweetheart?"

At Rose's nod, she continues, "Well, he injured his ankle and has to be taken to Casualty. I'm going with Pete as the healthcare situation's slightly different from…" She catches herself when her mum glances at her curiously. "Erm…from where he's from. Pete's worried that Wilf might have broken his ankle so he's real keen to get him there as soon as possible."

The Doctor imagines with a knowing smirk, _I just bet he's eager to get there. Filling out mountains of endless paperwork and tedious questions from healthcare professionals while simultaneously receiving no answers to your own inquiries versus spending the day with Nana? No contest there._

The Doctor sticks his hands in his pockets and gives Jackie a pointed stare. "I notice that you haven't made any mention of Nana and Haven tagging along on your little expedition so I take that you have some bad news for us?"

Jackie briefly scowls at him before ignoring him completely and facing Rose. "Nana's taken a bit ill and I don't want to leave her alone. I was hoping that she could stay with you until we got back from the hospital."

Jackie's eyes fill with relief when Rose answers, "Of course Nana can stay, Mum! Nana's always welcome here, isn't she Doctor?"

The man in question glares harshly at Rose before replying in false cheer, "Of course, I would welcome her here anytime." Then in a much lower tone, "As much as I would the plague."

Sensing the tension in the air, Nana straightens her hat from its odd angle for a better view of the situation. It's then that the Doctor notices an eye patch over the socket where her glass eye usually resides. When Haven draws his attention with a soft mewl, he spies a corresponding eye patch on him as well a nappy.

_And I thought that I made some hideous fashion choices in my time,_ ponders the Doctor.

Rose gasps in concern, "Nana, are you alright? What happened to you?"

Nana strokes Haven lovingly behind his ears while she informs them, "I caught an eye infection from Haven that irritated my eye socket. The ophthalmologist wants me to wear an eye patch until it clears up."

Jackie pats her mother's shoulder consolingly and adds, "Without Mum's glass eye, everything tends to be a bit blurry." She darts a confounded gaze around the inexplicably bigger on the inside TARDIS.

She whispers to the couple, "I've never been gladder of that than I am right now."

Nana inquires, "So this is your ship, then?" She taps her cane on the floor. "That explains the metal grating." She squints at the area around her. "You're right, Jackie, it is crappier on the inside."

Both the Doctor and Rose turn to Jackie with an accusing stare. Jackie avoids their gazes and announces, "Well, time to be off! Pete and Wilf are waiting for me in the car."

"Yes," remarks the Doctor dryly, "revving the engine and all, I suppose." _The lucky sod._

Rose reaches over and gives her mum a quick peck on the cheek. "Drive safe, Mum, and give my best to Mr. Mott." I've only met him the once but he was such a sweet old man."

The Doctor sullenly leans back against a strut while he watches Nana and Haven wander around the console room. After Jackie leaves, Rose approaches him and whispers, "Don't look so stroppy, Doctor. She'll probably only be here for a few hours at the most."

"What?" huffs the Doctor incredulously. "Do you have any idea how incredibly long that a few hours are for a Time Lord, Rose Tyler?" He turns to watch their guests with narrowed eyes and grouses, "Just look at them roving around my TARDIS with their one-eyed stares, Rose! It's like being surrounded by Daleks!"

He yelps as Haven's unexpectedly darts across the room to make his way over to them and his claws connect with the Doctor's leg. The Doctor's howls echo throughout the ship while the cat attacks him in a flurry of claws and bites that doesn't cease until the Doctor climbs up a strut to avoid any further abuse.

Rose attempts to shoo Haven away while the Doctor withdraws his sonic screwdriver and shouts, "That's it! Rose, go down the hall, make a left at the stairs and then go down the ramp to the door marked Storage Room C and bring back the box marked K-9 Mark V!

Nana watches the entire affair with mild interest before she orders, "You two, quit scaring my cat!" She issues a few kissing noises and calls out, "Come here, Puss," to draw Haven to her side.

Once Haven's under Nana's watchful eye, the Doctor lets go of the strut and lands on the jumpseat. He stares down at the frayed condition of his trousers and bemoans, "Rose, just look at what that wretched excuse for a feline has done to my suit!"

Another glance downwards reveals an even worse fate that has befallen his clothing. "No!" squeaks the Doctor as he looks down in abject horror at his freshly stained coat. "Why is my overcoat wet?" demands the Doctor as he directs his rage towards Haven. "What kind of a demented fiend are you?"

Haven blinks innocently in response, or possibly boredom, before releasing a huge yawn. Apparently, the full force of The Oncoming Storm doesn't particularly bother a cat.

"Oh, dear," remarks Nana in a mock sympathy, "didn't I mention that Haven's nappy keeps coming loose?" She turns to her granddaughter and states, "I'm thirsty, Rose. Where's your galley?"

Rose replies, "It's not far, Nana." Trying to smooth over what could rapidly become an extremely bad situation, Rose poses, "Why don't we all go there for some lovely refreshments?" As she escorts Nana down the hall, she turns to the Doctor and mouths, 'I'm so sorry'.

The Doctor merely offers a resigned stare in return while he clutches his coat up close to his chest. That is, until it becomes apparently obvious that the coat isn't simply wet but that the damp patches are also emitting a very unpleasant smell.

"Arrrgh!" he growls in frustration. A flash of guilt crosses his face when he sees Rose tense up when she hears him cry out. With a reluctant sigh, he drops onto the jumpseat and tosses his beloved coat onto the ground.

He gazes up at the ceiling while he remembers vows of love, honor and trust, and for better or for worse. However, nowhere, _absolutely nowhere_, did he recall any mention of Nana Prentice in the ceremony!

With one last sigh, this one of defeat, he rubs his hands over his face before dragging himself out of his seat to trudge down the hall to the kitchen. _Domestics, Rose, domestics, Rose. _He didn't need the supportive chime of the TARDIS to tell him what he needed to do.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Going Spare**

Upon entering the kitchen, the Doctor spies Rose at the counter making lunch while Nana sits patiently at the table with Haven curled at her feet. Rose makes a gesture towards two freshly made pitchers of lemonade sitting next to her and asks, "Doctor, would you please pour each of us a glass?"

He licks his lips as he eyes up the two different flavored batches. "Ooooh," he exclaims in delight, "pink and yellow lemonade! My two favorite flavors!"

Nana shifts in her chair to face the Doctor and asks sweetly, "Poof, could you please pour me a glass of water first?"

Nodding, he grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator and pours it into a glass while politely inquiring, "Is there anything else that you'd like me to add to your glass, Nana?"

"Yes, there is," concurs Nana. "Here." She then proceeds to drop her teeth into the glass of water along with a tablet of denture cleaner.

"Glad to be of assistance," states the Doctor with a grimace before turning back to pour them each a glass of lemonade. Smiling, he places the glass in front of Nana and then reaches for his own to fill up and leave on the table before pouring one for Rose.

When he spins around to pick up his glass, he finds Nana sporting a malicious grin and her glass eyeball staring at him while it bobs up and down in his lemonade. He merely stares at her until she finally offers, "I just love how the lemon makes the glass so shiny."

Rose chastises, "Nana Prentice, that wasn't very nice, especially when you want to ask the Doctor for a favor!"

"A favor?" questions the Doctor suspiciously. "What kind of a favor?"

Nana sips her lemonade while Rose answers, "Nana and Haven both need injections on a daily basis for a week and instead of going down to the Health Authority each day, she was wondering if you could help her out."

The Doctor rocks back onto his heels as he claps his hands together in delight. _Finally, a chance to stick it to the old bin bag and her little cat too._ He leans back against the counter and casually mentions, "Why I'd be delighted to help. It's nice to see that you finally appreciate my expertise."

"Yes," agrees Nana wholeheartedly. "From what I've heard, nobody is better at handling a little prick than you."

The Doctor's smugness quickly falls away and he shuts his eyes as he rubs the bridge of his nose. "Nana, we need to get some things straight while you're on my ship. First off, I am the Captain of this ship, which happens to be very large so no wandering off. Also, I fully expect to be…"

He stops when he opens his eyes to find that has Nana gone. He scans the room and finding no trace of her asks, "Where did she go?"

Rose gives him a sympathetic smile and replies, "I told her earlier where the entertainment room is, she wants to have her lunch in there so she doesn't miss her favorite television show."

Noting the weary slump of his shoulders and his cheerless expression, Rose inquires hopefully, "Doctor, would it make you feel any better to know that you're apparently making her last days more enjoyable?"

"Only if you can promise me that these are actually her last days, Rose!" retorts the Doctor hotly while crossing his arms tightly across his chest and glaring at the opposite wall in a stance reminiscent of his former self.

Viewing Rose's saddened countenance spurs the Time Lord to drop a quick kiss onto his wife's lips as she finishes placing the last of Nana's meal on a tray. He picks it up for her in a gesture of apology and sighs, "Let's go take Her Majesty's lunch to her."

He's holding the tray for less than a minute when he smells something odd. He hazards a glance down to discover that his worst fears are confirmed. Below his gaze rests a rather large dish of pear pudding. The Doctor immediately hands off the tray to Rose and urges, "On second thought, you better carry it."

They stroll down the corridor until they reach the entertainment room where the Doctor, in true gentlemanly fashion, enters the room first to hold the door open for Rose. Unfortunately, the sight that greets him causes him to rapidly backpedal and nearly collide with Rose as she follows him into the room.

As she struggles to maintain her balance and uphold the tray, she demands angrily, "What's wrong with you? You nearly knocked everything over!"

"What's wrong?" he repeats in abject horror and revulsion. "You obviously didn't see what I just saw!" He hastily motions her towards the doorway and prods, "Go on! Take a look!"

Rose darts a curious glance in his direction before she cautiously hedges her way to the entrance. She nearly bites through her bottom lip when she spies the reason for the Doctor's complaint.

Nana was comfortably ensconced on the sofa watching the Doctor's 1950's television set that they picked up a while back and that he had jiggery pokery'd back to life and soniced with more convenient settings for the modern day time traveler while Haven was busy unraveling a very familiar multi-colored scarf. What was causing the Doctor to be so upset however, was the fact that Nana was also wearing his Ninth self's leather jacket while cuddling a framed picture of said self that now displayed a freshly placed lipstick imprint over the glass.

With a slight shudder and shake of her head in amusement, which from behind the Doctor took to be sympathetic understanding mixed with incredulous disbelief, she walks calmly into the entertainment room and announces, "Here's your lunch, Nana. The Doctor and I have some things to take care of onboard the ship so just give us a shout if you need anything, alright?"

At Nana's nod, she returns to the Doctor who is still frozen in position and completely gobsmacked by this recent turn of events. He manages to croak out, "What? That's it? We don't rush in and reclaim my jacket from that miserable old harpy or at least have to go in and join her?"

"No, we'll worry about your jacket later," soothes Rose. "Besides, she doesn't like to be interrupted with any distractions while she's watching her favorite show."

The Doctor peeks inside the room when he hears the show's theme music begin to play. _Waiting for God, hmmm? It figures, He would be the only one to come for her._

"I don't know, Rose," he whines, "I'm still worried about my jacket. You heard her at her birthday party." He trembles at the memory. "Who knows what she'll do to it."

Rose rolls her eyes in exasperation before pinning him with a pointed stare. "Do you want to fight her for it?"

The Doctor exhibits a scowl before answering, "No, just mark it up to one more casualty to a rapidly growing list. But she's not leaving with it! I absolutely refuse to have anything associated with any of my persons coveted by Nana Prentice!" He glumly surveys the scene over Rose's shoulder one more time before grousing, "I'll simply sonic it later along with my overcoat."

"You poor thing," purrs Rose seductively before she brushes a kiss across his mouth. "Why don't you follow me and I promise to make it all better."

The Doctor's eyebrows practically jump into his hairline as he squeaks in excitement, "Really?" Then in a more suggestive tone, he asks, "Exactly just what did you have in mind, Rose Tyler?"

"Wellll…," she drawls as her fingertips trail up his necktie, you've been awfully tense since Nana arrived and I thought that maybe that you would enjoy it if I…"

"Yes?" he yelps expectantly.

"How would you like me to massage your back?" she inquires animatedly.

"A back massage?" he repeats slowly. He pouts a bit in obvious disappointment as he admits, "Yeah, sure, why not? I guess that we can't really do anything else as long as _she's_ here anyway." His eyes alight with sudden hope. "Could you throw in a foot massage as well?"

She starts tugging him down the hall by his tie as she advises, "Don't push it, "Doctor."

**To be continued….**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** When I first came up with the idea for this story, it was my always my intention to address the issue of the missing year and how it affected Jackie. It positively floored me how after everything that she went through, the Doctor and Rose could still just pick up and leave her after only staying a few hours and yet Jackie still helped Rose to return to him on the Gamestation.

I really felt that this had been glossed over and I wanted a story that honored how much Jackie loves Rose to have done all of that for her so I had to think of someone who would bring this issue to light and force them to see what Jackie had went through and that's when I thought of Nana Prentice. That moment will be very revealing but it will also lead to an outcome for Jackie that she has wanted for a long time in a follow up story as well as to bring the Doctor and Rose much more into a 'domestic' verse which is what this series is about after all.

**Chapter 3 Going Swimmingly**

An hour later finds the Doctor face down on the couch in the library, a mere puddle of bliss among the cushions, while Rose straddles his waist as she works to alleviate the buildup of tension in his muscles.

The thorough push-pull motion of Rose's hands causes him to release yet another moan of pure pleasure. "Oh, Rose…you have the most amazing hands…oh, yes, please…right there…that's the spot."

Their respite comes to a halt when they are interrupted by a tap from Nana's cane on the outside of the library's partially closed door. "Oi, you two! I know all about your 'haunted' ship from Jackie but I better not hear any more moans while I'm here because you two are in high spirits!"

Both Rose and the Doctor still themselves at the misguided rebuke and Rose regretfully mentions, "Your tension's back."

"Yes," groans the Doctor ruefully, "she is." With a mournful sigh, he asks, "Do we have to go back out there?"

Rose musters a half smile and she says, "Only if you don't mind her wandering through the TARDIS on her own."

The Doctor pouts as he peers up at her from behind his crossed arms and grouses in a petulant tone, "Fine, but let's take our time, shall we? I mean, honestly, how much trouble can an ancient one-eyed shuffleufagus get up to?"

The Doctor's answer comes in the form of an explosion that rocks the TARDIS. Rose immediately jumps up and shouts, "What the hell was that?"

The Doctor grabs her hand and they race out the door into the corridor. "I don't know but the smoke is coming from over there!"

"Oh, my God, Doctor! What about my Nana?" screeches Rose in fright.

The very thought of Nana's absence from their lives fills the Doctor with unbridled glee and brings about an unrestrained twitching of his lips that's quickly fighting the losing battle to release a full blown manic grin.

When he starts giggling in unadulterated bliss, Rose tugs him to a stop and questions agog, "Are you laughing at my Nana's expense?"

He blinks once in realization at his unwitting actions and instantly apologizes. "I'm sorry, Rose. I must be becoming hysterical at the thought of Nana coming to harm."

Rose fumes, "That might be more believable, Doctor, if you were able to wipe the smirk off of your face!"

Caught out, the Doctor looks away and considers the planet Clonus where they can obtain a replacement clone of Nana Prentice with a few minor adjustments. It would be nothing for them to enhance her with a genetic alteration or two for improvement. Physically, Nana could be better, stronger, faster and personality wise…_nicer._

The Doctor's musings are broken by a sharp knock to the head delivered angrily by his wife. He reels back in shock and then understanding instantly dawns in his mind. "Oh, yes, our bond," he notes aloud while tugging on his ear. "Still not exactly used to that yet, apparently it's working quite well."

One last glower directed at the Doctor and then Rose drags him over to the room with the smoke pouring out of it, however, much fainter than before. She stands frozen in place at the doorway and swallows nervously. "Doctor, I can't look. Could you…?"

He squeezes her hand reassuringly and murmurs, "Of course, love." He enters the room and after a speedy survey, he instantly falls to his knees and screams, "No! No! Why did this happen to happen?"

Rose bolts inside the room upon hearing his cry while shouting, "Doctor! What is it? What's happened to Nana?"

"Nothing's wrong with that old misery," bemoans the Doctor in anguish. "She's not even in here!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rose asks concernedly, "Then what's wrong and what on Earth is that smell?"

"It's bananas!" declares the Doctor. "That old bat blew up my banana experimentation room!"

"Then where is she?" demands Rose worriedly.

"Who cares?" wails the Doctor. "Just look at this mess! I was _this _close to refining my banana scented hair products! I was going to have really great smelling hair!" He stares around the room once more before dropping his head in misery. "Oh why did I have to go and leave Ace's old nitro lying around?"

Rose huffs in exasperation before grabbing the Doctor by the back of his collar and hauling him out of the room. "Focus, Doctor! We need to find Nana and make sure that she's okay!"

While he continues to be yanked down the hall by Rose, the Doctor silently calls out one last farewell to his favorite room. _Goodbye, old friends! I promise to mourn you properly later._

Halfway down the corridor they hear a splash and with both of them darting a glance at the other simultaneously conclude, "The swimming pool!"

They immediately head for the pool area and once inside, they start scanning every inch of the room for any sign of the old woman. Their search comes to an end when they spy her cane floating in the pool. "Oh, no!" cries Rose.

"Don't worry, love," soothes the Doctor. "Everything will be fine, we'll just…" _**SPLASH!**_ The Doctor doesn't have the chance to finish his sentence as he slowly sinks to the bottom of the pool after Rose's impetuous yet extremely firm shoves sends him on his way to rescue Nana.

While activating his extra respiratory bypass, he briefly wonders if he can still perform a triple somersault underwater as he casually glances towards the surface and spots a very familiar pair of pink fuzzy slippers. Kicking off and gliding smoothly through the water, the Doctor swiftly resurfaces with barely a ripple into the most shadowed area of the pool.

"Poof!" greets Nana warmly. "Glad you could make it!" She smiles widely as she stretches out on Rose's pink raft before sipping her drink and scratching Haven behind his ears. Nana merrily smacks her lips as she declares, "This pear smoothie that Rose made me earlier has a real kick to it, I must get her recipe before I go!"

She leans back contentedly as she watches the Doctor tread water. "So you've been here the whole time?" he asks gruffly. "You couldn't have said anything _before_ Rose pushed me in?"

Nana bats her eyelashes in surprise and innocently inquires, "Oh, were you looking for me?"

The Doctor closes his eyes in defeat and opens them to see her cane bobbing up and down alongside him and poking him in the shoulder. With a sigh of resignation, he picks it up and hands it to her.

"Thanks, Poof," states Nana.

"Nana," he asks wearily, "why do you hate me so much?"

With a hard stare, she spits, "Does it really need saying?" as she uses the tip of her cane to push off against the Doctor's forehead to propel her to the side of the pool. While Rose assists Nana out of the pool, the Doctor allows himself to drift back down underneath the water and contemplates, _This might be the perfect time to work on that triple somersault._

Moments later, his meager attempt at meditation is broken by the sound of Rose's voice whispering in his mind. _Doctor, are you alright?_

_Yes, love, I'm just taking a moment to gather my thoughts…and what's left of my sanity,_ he sends back.

Rose's whisper instantly turns into a forceful shout. _Well, pull it together, Doctor, and get back up here! Nana obviously has a problem with you having a place in my life and since you're not going anywhere, we need to settle this right now!_

Pushing off from the bottom of the pool, the Doctor rapidly breaks the surface and using swift sure strokes, soon finds himself at the water's edge. Heaving himself out of the water, he questions dryly, "Well? What's the verdict?"

Nana's brow wrinkles in confusion and with hands on hips, Rose explains, "I understand not thinking that the Doctor's not good enough for me, Nana, that's a common trait in any family, but you've taken it to a whole new level! What is it exactly about the Doctor that you dislike so much?"

Nana's frosty gaze morphs into a steely glint as she focuses on Rose. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to leave you feeling left out."

Rose takes a step back out of both shock and a little bit of fear. She hasn't been on the receiving end of that particular look since the first time that she stayed out all night with Jimmy Stone. "Wh-what do you mean, Nana?" she sputters apprehensively.

The old woman looks almost pityingly at her granddaughter. "You really have no idea why I'm so upset, do you, Rose Tyler?" A nervous swallow from Rose and a shaking of her head in the negative prods Nana to respond bitingly, "I'm _upset_, no, make that _**furious**_ with the two of you for abandoning your mother for an entire year!"

She points at the Doctor. "He swanned in and made himself look so impressive that you went and thought yourself important enough to leave us behind without a second thought!"

Rose shakes her head in firm denial. "No! That's not how it was, Nana, I swear!"

Nana tilts her head wonderingly and inquires harshly, "No? Then you explain it to me, Rose. You explain how a woman who raised you on her own and did without so she could provide you with whatever she could deserves to be dismissed without even a goodbye?"

She grips her cane as she leans forward menacingly and even Haven glares at them with a hint of accusation. "Do either of you have any idea how many phone calls from Jackie woke me up in the middle of the night? And they weren't calls about hearing a strange noise and thinking that you finally came back home or from yet another nightmare at what might have happened to you. They were calls asking me to come down to the police station with her because they asked her _yet again_ to come down and look at _another_ body to see if she could identify some poor girl."

Tears begin to trail down Rose's cheeks at the utter horror that her mother must have went through each day that she was missing. She had never really thought about it, she hadn't wanted to. And one incredibly telling glance at the Doctor's shattered countenance revealed that neither had he.

Nana's voice breaks as she recalls, "I can't remember how many times that I held my little girl as she stood there shaking in grief and despair as they pulled back the sheet and then wailed in relief that it wasn't you before she went off to be sick."

The Doctor and Rose's faces display their guilt and shame as Nana clutches her cane for support and drives her point home. "And then it would start all over, night after night, she'd receive that same call." Her eyes are bright with tears and her voice rasps, "But never from you, not one single call from you since the day that you disappeared."

She closes her eyes with a painful sigh and a sad shake of her head and brokenly asks, "And do you know what the worst part was, after not knowing where you were?" She opens her eyes to stare at them reproachfully. "She blamed herself."

Both Rose and the Doctor's eyes widen in astonishment at Nana's statement. "She would wonder that if you hadn't disappeared then what could she have said or done that could have possibly driven you away that you wouldn't contact her for _an entire year._

Nana's eyes flash in resentment and anger. "Your mother has never forgotten me, Rose Tyler, not once! She has always been there for me, when your father died, when she raised you on her own and even during the year that never should have been! She never once forgot about me, Rose, because that's not just what a Prentice woman does, that's what a _daughter_ does!"

Unable to bear Nana's final words, Rose breaks down and reaches out to her grandmother. "Oh, Nana, I'm so sorry, I…"

Refusing to accept her apology, Nana hastily steps back and chides, "No! No, you are not allowed to act the injured party here! You do not ask for my forgiveness, you beg for your mother's."

Nana takes a deep breath to calm herself down. "Now, Rose, you are my granddaughter and you always will be but enough is enough. You are old enough to not only consider but to be aware of people's feelings and since you've met _him_," she shoots a scathing look at the Doctor, "you haven't been doing that."

"You weren't even home for a few hours the day that you returned before you left chasing after some storm. You couldn't even have tea with your mother after she waited a year for you. Now I haven't said anything before because your mother pleaded with me not to, she was too scared that you'd leave for good this time. Your mother loves you that much, Rose, and it's past time that you paid her back in kind."

Nana's countenance changes drastically and she suddenly looks every year of her age as her slight form sags in exhaustion. "I hope that the two of you are able to figure out some way to make this right. My baby didn't deserve this; she doesn't deserve to keep wondering when the next time is that she'll see her own child." She gazes imploringly at her granddaughter, every day of that year's heartbreak shining from her eyes. "You're better than this, Rose Tyler. Now it's time to prove it and prove that he is too."

Nana shakes her head sadly and walks away as the Doctor reaches out to support a sobbing Rose. He holds Rose tightly to him, despite his wet clothes, and chokes out, "Nana Prentice, I swear that we will put things right with Jackie."

The barest hint of relief shows in the old woman's eyes as she nods and urges, "You see that you do."

The Doctor stares down at the floor in shame as he cradles his wife and quietly asks, "Nana?"

"Yes, Poof?" she replies.

"Is that Haven's nappy?"

Nana glances down in the direction he's indicating and answers, "Yeah, I told you that it keeps coming loose. He made a right mess of the closet and bed in one of the rooms down the hall."

The Doctor freezes and questions miserably, "Which room?"

"I don't know," answers Nana with a furrowed brow. "But it has a large wooden door with some swirly markings on it."

"Our bedroom," states the Doctor flatly while casting a concerned glance towards Rose.

"If you say so," returns Nana dismissively before she makes her usual kissing noises to call Haven to her side. "Come on, Puss. Haven and I will be watching Last of the Summer Wine until you're ready to give us our injections."

After she leaves the room, the Doctor mutters, "Oh well, at least the TARDIS is self-cleaning." The TARDIS promptly flashes her lights and chimes loudly in anger. **"What?"** trumpets the Doctor.

Barely able to process her own thoughts, Rose is unable to receive the TARDIS' projections in her mind. She sniffs meekly, "What's wrong?"

The Doctor informs her, "Apparently, the TARDIS likes Nana because she's old, full of fire and heart and takes care of her own. Also, after what she just heard, we deserve the mess that was made in our bed so we might as well lie in it."

He rubs his hands wearily over his face and sighs, "And after what Nana just told us, I think that I agree with her."

"Oh, Doctor," breathes Rose through her own shaky sigh, "I never truly imagined what my mum went through. I guess I didn't want to dwell on it for fear that I'd stay behind with her out of guilt."

He grunts in commiseration. "I understand, Rose." When she looks at him as if he's just placating her, he adds, "I do. That's the very reason that I was so insistent about wanting us to leave right away after you came back. It didn't matter to me that you'd just spent an entire year away from your mum from her viewpoint; all that mattered was that you spend every moment away from then on with me. I was so terrified that I was going to lose you to your mum and your life back here."

He rubs a hand through his hair sending it flying out in all directions as well as a few stray drops of water. "Selfish, I know, but there it is."

Heartbroken, Rose asks, "Doctor, what are we going to do?"

He takes hold of her shoulders to steady her and vows, "We're going to make it better, Rose. I _swear_ it. We will make this right." He cradles her face in his hands and wipes away her tears with his thumbs before placing the gentlest of kisses on her lips and turning away to leave the pool area.

"Where are you going?" she inquires in confusion.

He spins around and announces, "First, I'm going to clean up our bedroom, then I'm going to see to their injections. And then…then, I'm going to go and dust off my tux." The Doctor exits the room leaving Rose in a state of bewilderment as she ponders his words.

**To Be Concluded…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Going…going…gone!**

With Nana nestled snugly in the entertainment room watching television, the Doctor is back to working on the TARDIS console while Rose is heading towards him with a lemonade. Then, just as the day had started, a knock at the door interrupts the Doctor's work and the newlyweds stare apprehensively at it before glancing miserably at each other.

"That must be Mum," states Rose in an anxious tone as she wipes the moisture on her hands from the glass onto her jeans in a nervous gesture.

The Doctor whacks the mallet against the console as he grouses to himself. _Jackie Tyler or the Grim Reaper, either way I'll be satisfied as long as the old woman takes her leave._ A shower of sparks from the TARDIS immediately admonishes the Doctor for his unkind thoughts towards Nana.

Upon opening the door and seeing her mother, Rose throws herself into Jackie's arms and in a heartfelt and tearful tone exclaims, "Mum!" Jackie tries to remain steady on her feet as Rose clutches her even tighter and whispers, "I love you, Mum, I love you so much."

Jackie pulls back and is shocked to see Rose crying. She wipes away a stray tear from her daughter's face and soothes, "Aw, I love you too, sweetheart. Now what's caused all of this fuss?" She shoots a glare over at the Doctor and growls, "What did you do?"

He rubs at his burnt fingers and returns her angry look with his own that's filled with remorse. "Apparently, far too much, I'm afraid."

Rose shakes her head in denial and sniffs, "The Doctor didn't do anything, Mum. We're fine." At Jackie's arched eyebrow of suspicion, Rose finally cracks a true smile and laughs, "Honestly, Mum, we are fine."

Jackie continues to cast a mistrustful eye towards the Doctor as he walks over to them. "Well, alright, love, if you say so. Where's Mum?"

"I'm right here, Jackie," announces Nana as she enters the room with Haven at her heels.

"Mum!" greets Jackie cheerily as she darts over to Nana and then whispers in her ear, "So, what are these two fighting about?"

Nana's face bears a mixed expression of innocence and confusion. "Have they been fighting, love? Well, I haven't noticed but then you know how I tend to mind my own business." She smiles at Jackie ever so sweetly before she gives the married couple a harsh and extremely pointed glare.

The Doctor clears his throat under Nana's scrutiny and while taking Rose's hand with a reassuring squeeze, he approaches the two women. "Jackie," he begins, "I want to apologize."

A bit of fire alights in Jackie's eyes as her gaze pins down the Doctor. "So, you did do something! Well, out with it then! What did you do?"

"Which time?" he asks ruefully.

Watching Jackie's countenance turn into one of befuddlement, the Doctor explains, "I want to apologize for taking Rose and staying away for so long and leaving you to wonder if she's alright."

Crossing her arms over her chest and releasing a small laugh, Jackie smirks, "Which time?"

Receiving mutual looks of despair from the couple at her gibe instead of the usual eye rolls of exasperation, Jackie takes pity on them and pats the Doctor's shoulder gently as she moves to pass by him. "Never mind, love, it's par for the course by now."

It doesn't take superior Gallifreyan hearing to note the trace of sadness in Jackie's tone. He grabs her arm to stop her from walking off and insists, "But it shouldn't be that way, Jackie, and it won't be again, not after today."

Jackie leans away to survey the Doctor's sad expression with concern. "What are you on about, Doctor?"

At first, he merely stares back at her in desolation while running a hand nervously through his hair. He never has been good with words when it came to domestics, even with this regeneration's gob. He can only hope that the gesture that he's about to make will cover anything that his words are unable to convey.

Another clearing of his throat and then he asserts, "I'm afraid that I've been very inconsiderate towards you when it comes to allowing you to see Rose on a regular basis. I'm sorry to say that I've looked upon her requests for visits home with a great sense of dread and even disdain." He straightens to his full height as he declares, "If the truth be known, I only put up with so many trips back to Earth for Rose's sake because you were her family but that's all changed now, because now you're my family too."

He draws Rose closer to his side as he proclaims, "You see, Jackie, Rose is my wife now, we were recently married on Navtotiva."

"What?" gasps Jackie in a tone full of shock and hurt while Nana's eyes blaze with anger at the realization that yet another precious moment with Rose has been stolen from her child.

"Rose," grieves Jackie heartbrokenly, "how could you go and marry that alien nutter without telling me? I may have had some reservations about the two of you at times but I've always dreamed of watching my little girl get married! How could you not tell me about this?"

A quick glance at Nana's thinly pressed lips and livid glower aimed specifically in their direction practically screams, 'Fix this!' Rose tentatively reaches out to Jackie and gently grasps her arm while firmly stating, "Mum, of course I wanted you there!"

Her gaze beseeches Jackie to understand as she tells her, "It was one of the most important moments of my life, at times like that, I _always_ want you by my side!" Her voice softens in memory as she explains, "But the wedding that we had, the vows that we spoke and made to each other, that moment was for us alone."

She moves her other hand down her mother's arm to encircle Jackie's hand and give it a loving squeeze. "When we came back home, you and Dad had announced your engagement and neither of us wanted to take away the limelight from the two of you. You both have went through so much to have your 'happily ever after' and we didn't want you to have anything less than that."

Rose's grip tightens considerably on her mother's hand as she emphasizes, "You deserve more than that and so much more than I've given you."

The Doctor steps up alongside Rose again and adds, "Rather what we've not give you, Jackie, however unintentionally, and that's time with Rose in deference to both her love for you and your rightful place in her life."

Smiling contritely, he confesses, "Incidentally, our wedding was a bit rushed at my behest. After all my squawking over domestics, Rose wasn't quite sure that I was sincere in my offer of commitment; she felt it was due more to a sense of obligation. There were several bouts of pleading and compromise," he tugs on his ear at this point, "mostly on my part, before Rose finally consented to be my wife. That's one of the main reasons that you weren't there, I was too afraid that Rose might change her mind if we took the time to come back here for the wedding."

His gaze is earnest and promising as he poses, "And that's how I'm hoping to make amends for such a grievous error in judgment." All three women stare at him in both bewilderment and interest. "Jackie, Rose and I have already had a Gallifreyan ceremony, but I would like to have one here as well, on the Powell Estates actually, if you would be so kind as to help us plan it."

Rose's eyes light up in gratitude just as Jackie's shine with excitement. "Really?" asks Jackie hurriedly. "Rose, is he serious?" Rose only nods her head, too delighted with the Doctor's plan to even speak.

It's Nana who interrupts the emotion packed moment when she casually inquires, "Where's Gallifrey?"

Eager to change the subject back to the wedding, Jackie tosses out, "It's somewhere in Ireland, Mum, same as the other place that he mentioned earlier." Clasping her hands together in exhilaration, Jackie gushes, "Oh, Rose, I'm so excited, love! There are so many things to plan, like the dress, the flowers and reception! Oh, and of course, you'll want Shireen as your maid of honor!'

"Actually, Mum," Rose suggests expectantly with a hint of tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, "I was hoping that you would be my matron of honor."

"What? Me?" utters Jackie in complete surprise. "I always thought that you'd want your best mate standing up next to you. Why not Shireen?"

Rose smiles wide as she replies, her voice filled with loving warmth, "Yeah, I know that Shireen's always been my best mate and for a long time, I thought that she was showing me the type of woman that I wanted to be. I was wrong though, Mum. My absolute best mate is the woman who has stood beside me for every good or bad decision that I've ever made and supported me through all of them. That's you, Mum, because throughout everything we've been through, you've shown me the type of woman that I want to become."

Tears fill Jackie's eyes and she struggles to hold them back while she tugs Rose to her and sniffs, "Thank you, sweetheart. That's the sweetest thing that you've ever said to me."

Rose holds her mother to her in a fierce grip before letting go enough to pull back and assure, "It's true, Mum. I love you."

Jackie flashes her own trademark grin and the Doctor decides to choose that moment to pop his head up between them and ask, "So, you'll help us then, Jackie? Pretty, pretty please, with edible ball bearings on top?"

Both women roll their eyes at his antics before Jackie laughs, "Of course I will, love. I'm always here for the both of you, you know that."

Rose leans her head against the Doctor's as she remarks, "Yeah, Mum, we know."

Jackie spins around and addresses her own mother. "Well, this is exciting, isn't it, Mum? Our little girl is finally getting married! Oh, we'll have to start shopping for a dress…we'll check out that new boutique that Cousin Mo works at…and I'll do your hair, I wouldn't dare trust anyone else to touch it on your special day…and of course, there's flowers and invitations and just so much to do! You'll help too, won't you, Mum?"

Nana Prentice beams at the happiness that's radiating off her little girl in waves. "Absolutely, Jackie, you can count on me!" She exhibits a soft smile towards the Doctor and Rose and comments, "It sounds like a lovely start to fixing things up."

Jackie unexpectedly drags the couple into a bone crushing hug while exclaiming, "Oh, I simply can't wait to get started on the planning!" She draws back with a knowing look as she advises, "You know, you two are going to have to hang around here a bit more often if you want to have any say in this wedding."

"That won't be any problem, Jackie," assures the Doctor. "We have every intention of staying longer on the estate from now on and increasing our visits in-between our travels."

Jackie virtually glows in anticipation and relief at this news. She glances at the Doctor with a trace of worry. "Now, about your friends' invitations…?"

The Doctor waves a hand dismissively through the air as he reassures, "No worries there, Jackie, I'll take care of them personally."

"Good," she breathes in relief, "you see that you do." Jackie's stance emits pure determination as she proclaims, "This is going to be the finest wedding that the Powell Estates has ever seen!" She tosses a wink to the couple as she adds, "And now that Pete's rich again, we won't have to count every quid!"

Nana startles a bit at this declaration and demands, "Pete's rich? How rich?"

Jackie shakes her head in amused exasperation and chastises, "Never mind about that, Mum, that's not important." When she's turned away from the Doctor and Rose, she whispers confidentially, "He's loaded!"

In her normal tone, Jackie announces their departure. "Well, let's go home, Mum. We'll leave these two to work out their fight."

"Mum," sighs Rose in annoyance, "I've already told you, we're not fighting."

Jackie nods her head politely, accompanied by a knowing smirk, and replies, "Of course not, love. I'm sure everything's just fine between the two of you."

Nana walks over to the anxious pair and without any hesitation, stretches her arm out to embrace Rose and give her a kiss on the cheek. As she pulls away, she whispers, "That's my girl." She darts an appraising look at the Doctor before she releases a slightly accepting smile and then places her hat atop her head and angles it to cover her eye patch. With a nod of acknowledgment, she murmurs, "Poof," and then heads over to Jackie.

"Come on, Jackie, let's leave Rose to her man so that we can get back to yours." Nana flashes her own patented Prentice grin when she intones, "I can't wait to tell Pete that I'm staying overnight."

Jackie links her arm through her mum's as she reaches down for her bags and they stroll out the door with Haven following behind. "Good night, kids!" calls Jackie over her shoulder as the TARDIS door shuts behind them with a soft click. As if on cue, the Doctor and Rose turn as one and trudge over to the console dropping over onto the jumpseat with exhausted sighs.

Rose leans her head against her husband's shoulder and softly asks, "Doctor?"

"Yes, love?" he inquires lightly before pressing a gentle kiss against her temple.

"Do you really believe that we can fix this?" she questions quietly.

He pulls her tighter against him as he stares up at the ceiling. "Yes, yes, I do. As Nana said, it's a lovely start but it is still just a start." He lifts his feet up onto the edge of the console and leans back, one arm behind his neck propping up his head and the other around Rose. "I'm going to do the one thing that I never thought that I'd do, I'm going to stop running away. We are going to make ourselves much more available to your Mum so that you can both see each other as much as you would like."

He suddenly swivels his head towards her and stares at her intently. "I meant what I said earlier, Rose. I consider your family as my own now, probably even before our bonding if I'm being honest, and I will do absolutely _anything_ to protect my family." He rubs his hands over his eyes as he sighs, "Even if it's from me."

Rose firmly tugs his hands away from his face and soothes, "It wasn't just you, Doctor." She gazes down at the floor in shame as she admits, "Nana was spot on about everything. No matter what I felt for you when we first met, what we had was a blink of an eye compared to the lifetime that I had spent with my mum."

She stares up at him solemnly and amends, "Not to lessen what we have together in any way, Doctor, because we had something in our first few moments together that most people can't find in a lifetime." Her face contorts in a grimace when she thinks of Jackie's pain. "I still should've put Mum first when I came back after that missing year." She shakes her head regretfully as she recalls, "I was just so terrified that you would leave without me and that I'd never see you again."

The Doctor watches the various emotions that cross Rose's face as she becomes lost in her memories and he interjects, "I know that I came across rather harshly with the standard 'my TARDIS, my rules' when I gave you that ultimatum but I never would have went through with it." At her expression of shock and slight disbelief, he hastily adds, "I would have waited for you. Regardless of what I said, I would have come up with some excuse to stay on the estate until you were ready to leave with me."

"Really?" she whispers in genuine awe. Her nose crinkles up in that adorable way that he adores as she inquires, "How long would you have waited for me?"

His vow to her now is the same as it was the night before their bonding and even before then. "Forever." Her answering smile is all of the reply that he needs.

She attempts to imitate his eyebrow waggle as she purrs seductively, "Remind me to talk to you later about riding a certain Storm."

He chuckles filthily and shoots back, "Why wait? We're in a time machine after all." His eyebrow waggle is much more successful in the suggestive department than Rose's which causes her to laugh in response.

"That would be lovely except we have a wedding that we have to plan." She glances down at the Doctor's beloved coat on the floor and muses, "I guess there really is no safe Haven for us." The Doctor groans at her poor attempt at a joke before he mock glares at her and she questions, "Will you be able to save it?"

The Doctor stares down at his overcoat as if in mourning and woefully bleats, "Yeah, with a bit of sonic cleaning and a _really _big minty air freshener."

He's still staring morosely at his coat when Rose interlaces her fingers through his own and praises, "That was a brilliant idea that you had about the wedding. I know that it's a lot more domestic than you're used to dealing with and I can't even begin to tell you how much that I appreciate the sacrifice that you're making just to make Mum so happy."

He lifts their linked hands to brush a kiss across her knuckles and vows, "The only way that it would be a sacrifice is if I was giving you up and I have absolutely no intention of ever doing that." Their kiss is swift, sweet and passionate but no less loving or intense for its brevity. The seriousness of the mood is broken however when the Doctor teases, "Although, it's not so much a sacrifice as it is a Herculean trial or a chore. I mean, we are talking about planning a wedding with both your mother _and _Nana Prentice!"

Rose playfully bumps his shoulder in admonishment and retorts, "You have only yourself to blame."

The Doctor chuckles softly. "Yes, I know, but it won't be so bad, not really. It will be a chance to see old friends again, a bit of food and a bit of drink. We'll have a right proper knees up that will be remembered for years to come!"

Rose gazes lovingly at him as she remembers their first wedding and envisions their upcoming one all at once. "Yeah, it will be." No words are needed as their eyes lock and they instantaneously decide to initiate their link to bask in the privacy of the moment and the bright hope for their future soon followed by a tender kiss.

The Doctor reluctantly tugs Rose to a standing position and prods, "Well, come on Rose Tyler, time to start making out the guest list." They glance at each other with a grimace as a strong unpleasant odor pierces the air around them. "Right after we sonic that coat."

**THE END**


End file.
